Located near the coastal villages of Ifaty and Mangily, Reniala Reserve — also known as the Domergue Reserve — is a 60-hectare protected area preserving one of the last remaining sections of Madagascar’s ancient spiny forest. This extraordinary ecosystem exists nowhere else on Earth and is famed for its surreal landscapes of thorny plants, drought-resistant vegetation and towering baobabs.
The reserve is home to several magnificent Adansonia rubrostipa baobabs, including a remarkable 1,500-year-old “teapot baobab,” whose swollen trunk and unusual shape have become one of the park’s most photographed landmarks. Reniala also protects an impressive diversity of endemic flora, particularly species from the Didieraceae family, alongside thousands of plants unique to southern Madagascar.
For birdwatchers, the reserve is considered one of the best sites in the country. Its dry forest habitat shelters several rare endemic species, including the Long-tailed Ground Roller, Subdesert Mesite and Red-capped Coua. The reserve also hosts a small lemur rescue centre — mainly caring for Ring-tailed Lemur — and provides a safe refuge for the critically endangered Radiated Tortoise.
We joined a guided 1.5-hour nature walk along the reserve’s well-maintained trails, which offered a fascinating introduction to the unique ecology of Madagascar’s southwest. For the first time during our travels in Madagascar, the guide was included in the entrance fee (🎟️50,000 MGA), which felt like a genuinely pleasant surprise. Knowledgeable and passionate, our guide pointed out wildlife and explained the medicinal and traditional uses of many native plants — details we would almost certainly have missed on our own.
